Hashemite University students begin open-ended sit-in to protest classmate’s suspension

AMMAN — Hashemite University students on Tuesday started an open-ended protest on campus over the suspension of a fourth-year student in late October, according to the organisers.

Ibrahim Obeidat, an electrical engineering student, was suspended on October 24 for “organising activities on campus without the permission of the administration” and for speaking on behalf of the student union without being a member.

On Tuesday night, students of the Zarqa-based university started the sit-in in front of the university’s administration building to express their rejection of the decision announced by the university’s deanship of student affairs.

“They try to bring us down by suspending one of the main activists at the university, who is an activist not only on campus but also off campus. We will make our voices heard,” a student told The Jordan Times on condition of anonymity.

The business administration student said students are taking part in the demonstration at night to mark the beginning of student activities to demand the reversal of the decision.

According to a statement issued by the university’s student union, students from different parties were to participate in the protest.

The council of deans was supposed to meet on Monday to discuss the student’s case, but members agreed to postpone the session since the Speech from the Throne was on the same day, Obeidat said.

He added the suspension affects his grades and the number of his registered absences, noting that after seven absences recorded in each course, a student has to drop it.